Pay AttentionBelievers must diligently guard against drifting away from their confession of Jesus.

SESSION 2

DAT E OF M Y BI BL E S T U DY: 21© 2013 LifeWay

SHIPS ARE FASCINATING. HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO THINK ABOUT HOW THEY CAN HOLD SO MUCH WEIGHT AND STILL FLOAT ON WATER? LET THAT SINK IN FOR A MOMENT.

But no matter how large or small the ship, if it’s not properly anchored, it will follow the path of least resistance and drift away. In many ways, we’re a lot like ships. We’re tempted to follow the path of least resistance. Through spiritual neglect, by looking in the wrong direction, or by looking for what we think is an easier way, we end up where we never intended to be. When we get there, we feel miserable and may not even know why. Ultimately, we must be anchored in Christ.

The first four verses of Hebrews 2 address the drifters. The writer of Hebrews issued a stern warning that needs careful attention. It’s not enough to appreciate Christ; we must appropriate Christ. The writer did not want his readers to know just more information about Jesus. He urged them to embrace the Son of God in faith, boldly confessing Him no matter what life threw their way.

“WHEN WE BECOME

PREOCCUPIED WITH

LIFE TO THE EXTENT

THAT WE HAVE LITTLE

TIME TO DEVELOP

OUR SPIRITUAL CORE,

THEN DRIFTING IS

INEVITABLE.”

—David Jeremiah

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HEBREWS 2:1-4

1 We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.

2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,

3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.

4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will.

Think About It

What does the word

“we” in these verses

suggest about the

relationship between

the biblical writer and

the readers?

What situations cause a

person to drift when it

comes to obeying Christ?

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UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

The writer began the second chapter of Hebrews by reminding his readers that the Old Testament law was an important component in God’s relationship with His people. Therefore, it was binding on them. By the same token, the gospel message is just as binding. The genuine believer would never neglect the precious message of salvation through Christ.

The writer also mentioned the messengers who had presented to him the gospel and the individuals who would read his letter. Christ Himself proclaimed the message first. That critical connection between what Christ said and the message they shared about Him validated His message. Further, God had confirmed the validity of the good news of Christ. He certified it through a variety of miracles that signaled His approval. His Spirit distributed gifts to show approval of the life-changing message of eternal salvation found in Jesus. For that reason, Christians can proclaim the truth of the gospel with complete confidence.

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EXPLORE THE TEXT

LISTEN! (Hebrews 2:1)

Establishing Jesus’ absolute and undeniable authority, the writer of Hebrews issued a solemn warning to His readers. Their decision to give up on Christ and look for another path to God would have disastrous results. He didn’t consider himself exempt from this warning. Like them, he had to deal with the temptation to let tough times have a negative effect on his faith in Christ. He had responded to Christ because someone shared the good news of Christ with him. Now he had to take responsibility for living it out in a way that honored the Lord.

Like the early believers, we also face the same temptation and the same warning. Instead of simply glancing at the gospel and then forgetting about it, we must give careful consideration to Christ in our lives.

How have you been tempted to let tough times have a negative impact on your faith in Christ?

Using the idea of a sailor paying close attention to the sea as he brought the ship toward the harbor, the writer of Hebrews points all Christ-followers to be on alert and on guard as they make decisions about living out their confession of Christ.

Like a ship entering a harbor without navigational helps, we can get into trouble if we don’t pay attention to the warnings. We can’t simply walk away from God’s truth when it doesn’t suit our situations. For that reason, we’re accountable to the Lord if we drift away from our trust in Him.

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What warning signs exist to help Christ-followers avoid drifting away from Him?

As Christ-followers, how can we keep each other from drifting away from trust in the Lord?

THE PERIL OF NEGLECT (Hebrews 2:2-3a)

On Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with His people, and His law figured prominently into it. Every portion of it had to be taken seriously as a binding agreement between Him and them. Therefore, they couldn’t alter it at their convenience. God would hold them accountable for disobeying Him. They expected Him to give them the punishment they deserved when, in their disobedience, they broke the law.

How does the binding nature of God’s law affect your

sense of accountability to Him?

The writer also directed his readers to the binding authority of the gospel message. Their commitment to Jesus had been based on the received message, so it couldn’t be altered simply because they wanted to change it. Neither would it disappear over time. They couldn’t escape the consequences if they drifted away from it. That’s why the writer warned the readers not to neglect the supreme value of the gospel message in their lives.

Key Doctrine: Evangelism

It is the duty of every Christian to win the lost to Christ through verbal witness reinforced by a godly lifestyle.

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Real life begins when we respond to the good news of Christ. That’s why growing believers understand that nothing surpasses God’s great gift of salvation through Christ. Our past, our present, and our future have been changed forever because we heard the message of salvation and placed our faith in Christ as a result. Instead of neglecting it, we live it out every day in

ways that show how much we cherish it.

How do you demonstrate to others that the gospel of Christ is

a cherished treasure in your life?

TRUTH VERIFIED (Hebrews 2:3b-4)

Like the angels served to bring about the law in the Old Testament, Christ had been responsible for bringing the message of salvation. Since Christ was God, then God Himself had proclaimed it, making it absolutely superior. Therefore, it had to be considered a precious treasure by the people who had been saved. They had been saved because they heard it and had received Christ.

Referring to us, the writer indicated that he and his readers shared the same testimony regarding the message of salvation. Neither the writer nor the readers had heard it from Jesus directly. Someone had shared the message of the gospel with them and confirmed the message Jesus proclaimed. Therefore, it had the same binding authority as Jesus’ first-hand proclamation.

When you first heard the gospel, how did you know you were hearing the truth?

The writer reminded his readers that good news of Christ had God’s hand of confirmation on it, and the indisputable evidence could be found in the signs and wonders that accompanied it. These diverse miracles astonished

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people and led them to the distinct conclusion that only God could’ve been responsible for them. (See Acts 2:22, 14:3 and Romans 15:17-20 for examples.)

God’s confirmation of the gospel message could also be seen in the distributions of gifts. The writer of Hebrews didn’t give any details about the kinds of gifts that had been given. Instead, he called attention to the source of the gifts—the Holy Spirit. In other words, God Himself gave them, and He did it in keeping with His will. He didn’t choose to distribute gifts according to what His followers wanted. God based His decision on what would enable believers to accomplish His redemptive purpose in the world.

In what ways have you seen the message of Christ validated

in today’s world?

Bible Skill: Read, reflect, and respond emotionally to a Bible verse.

Some Bible verses reveal a passion and urgency in the biblical writer. Part of understanding and obeying Scripture is to evaluate your emotional response to such a verse.

Focus on Hebrews 2:1. Read the verse aloud several times. Each time, emphasize different words or phrases as you read (i.e., the word “we” or all the action words).

What feelings were evoked by the different words and phrases as you emphasized them?

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OBEY THE TEXT

Believers must guard against drifting away from the truth of the gospel. We can have confidence in the validity of the gospel message.

What gives you the greatest confidence to stand boldly for Christ? Explain.

List ways your Bible study group can provide spiritual support to keep each other from drifting.

Ask a trusted friend to help you evaluate your life. Focus on how well you demonstrate confidence in the gospel. Use the evaluation to identify specific areas needing your attention.

MEMORIZE

We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. — Hebrews 2:1

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Use the space provided to make observations and record prayer requests during the group experience for this session.

MY THOUGHTSRecord insights gained and questions to discuss during the group experience.

MY PRAYERSList specific prayer needs and answers to remember this week.

MY MISSIONAcknowledge ways you will obey God’s Word this week.

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